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Changes in Gulf sea turtle nest rescue announced

In this frame grab made from video shot on Aug. 2, 2010, sea turtle hatchlings that emerged from eggs gathered on the northern Gulf Coast of Florida near the impact of the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill are shown before being released at Playalinda Beach on the Canaveral National Seashore near Titusville, Fla. The sea turtles were born at a Kennedy Space Center incubation site, where thousands of eggs collected from Florida and Alabama beaches along the Gulf of Mexico have been sent.

AP Photo/Florida Today, Craig Rubadoux

Published: Friday, August 27, 2010 at 11:53 a.m.

Last Modified: Friday, August 27, 2010 at 11:55 a.m.

NEW ORLEANS — Baby sea turtles will now be allowed to hatch freely from coastal beach nests to return to the Gulf rather than being trucked as eggs to a distant warehouse for incubation and release far from the oil spill offshore, wildlife officials said Thursday.

Since early July, more than 25,000 eggs have been moved from Alabama and Florida Panhandle nests to keep hatchlings from emerging onto oiled beaches or swimming into oil in the Gulf of Mexico. Authorities say 13,671 hatchling have been released into the Atlantic to keep them far from the spill; the remaining eggs are still incubating.

Cindy Dohner, Southeast regional director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said turtle habitats have become clean enough since the gushing oil was halted July 15 to allow the hatchlings an unfettered return to the Gulf.

Their main habitat is Sargassum algae floating in the Gulf, where hatchlings feed on small sea creatures or their eggs. Because they do little but float, they run little risk of running into whatever submerged oil remains, Dohner said.

But she said wildlife experts haven't ruled out relocating more nests should any oil resurface nearby.

Female turtles will be digging more nests in sandy beaches through the rest of August, adding to about 20 on Alabama beaches and 350 in northwest Florida, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.

Precautions are still being taken to protect the hatchlings.

On beaches where offshore conditions remain uncertain or baby turtles might run into offshore booms or nighttime beach cleanup workers, nests will be covered with cages, and the hatchlings will be released at the nearest safe beach, said the announcement Thursday.

It said 16 nests were moved from Alabama and 262 from Florida between early July through Aug. 19.

The last four nests to be moved to a temperature-controlled warehouse at Kennedy Space Center all were from Florida, conservation commission spokeswoman Patricia Behnke said.

The plan had called for collecting as many as 70,000 turtle eggs in up to 800 nests.

Most of the nests were those of threatened loggerhead sea turtles. A few endangered Kemp's ridley turtle and green sea turtle nests also were moved.

<p>NEW ORLEANS — Baby sea turtles will now be allowed to hatch freely from coastal beach nests to return to the Gulf rather than being trucked as eggs to a distant warehouse for incubation and release far from the oil spill offshore, wildlife officials said Thursday.</p><p>Since early July, more than 25,000 eggs have been moved from Alabama and Florida Panhandle nests to keep hatchlings from emerging onto oiled beaches or swimming into oil in the Gulf of Mexico. Authorities say 13,671 hatchling have been released into the Atlantic to keep them far from the spill; the remaining eggs are still incubating.</p><p>Cindy Dohner, Southeast regional director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, said turtle habitats have become clean enough since the gushing oil was halted July 15 to allow the hatchlings an unfettered return to the Gulf.</p><p>Their main habitat is Sargassum algae floating in the Gulf, where hatchlings feed on small sea creatures or their eggs. Because they do little but float, they run little risk of running into whatever submerged oil remains, Dohner said.</p><p>But she said wildlife experts haven't ruled out relocating more nests should any oil resurface nearby.</p><p>Female turtles will be digging more nests in sandy beaches through the rest of August, adding to about 20 on Alabama beaches and 350 in northwest Florida, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.</p><p>Precautions are still being taken to protect the hatchlings.</p><p>On beaches where offshore conditions remain uncertain or baby turtles might run into offshore booms or nighttime beach cleanup workers, nests will be covered with cages, and the hatchlings will be released at the nearest safe beach, said the announcement Thursday.</p><p>It said 16 nests were moved from Alabama and 262 from Florida between early July through Aug. 19.</p><p>The last four nests to be moved to a temperature-controlled warehouse at Kennedy Space Center all were from Florida, conservation commission spokeswoman Patricia Behnke said.</p><p>The plan had called for collecting as many as 70,000 turtle eggs in up to 800 nests.</p><p>Most of the nests were those of threatened loggerhead sea turtles. A few endangered Kemp's ridley turtle and green sea turtle nests also were moved.</p>